NC SBTDC Publications
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PDF FormatVI. THE BUSINESS PLAN
Business Plan Outline
There are many variations in form and content for a business plan, but they all contain the following basic elements:
- Executive Summary
- Company Overview
- Marketing Plan
- Financial Plan
The Company Overview, Marketing Plan and Financial Plan are all described in detail in the sections that follow. They will have different relative importance from company-to-company and it may be desirable to add other sections if a company has unique situations.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Although this summary appears first in the plan, it will be the last section written because it will draw upon and condense the information presented in the other sections.
When completed, the Executive Summary should provide an attention-getting overview of the business that could even be used as a stand-alone piece. It is important that this section be written in a style that will motivate the reader to delve into the balance of the plan and further pursue an interest in the business.
Emphasize areas of the business that are of specific interest to the primary target audience.
COMPANY OVERVIEW Purpose
The purpose of this business plan is to:
___ Seek financing; ___ Increase sales; ___ Improve profits;
___ Expand the business: ___ Improve cash management:
Background
Describe where the company is right now and how it got there, by briefly discussing each of the following:
History of Company, if applicable:
Founded in ________________
Started by _________________________________________
Form of Organization:
The company is (or, will be):
- sole proprietorship;
- general partnership;
- S corporation;
- limited liability company (LLC);
- C corporation;
- uncertain.
The owners of the company are:
Goals
Long-term goals for the business (in terms of size, profit, personal success) are
Customers, Products & Services
The business will do the following for customers:
What gave you the idea for this business?
The company will sell to:
The company will serve customers in the following geographic area:
The company will offer the following products and services:
Products to be sold by the company will be purchased / produced as follows:
Operations
Company facilities will be located at
The selected site is most suitable for the company because _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________.
Products to be sold by the company will be purchased / produced as follows:
Company operations will occur on the following schedule (days & hours):
Products to be sold by the company will be purchased / produced as follows:
About __________ square feet of space is required for company operations and administration.
Special requirements for company facilities include:
Production will be dependent on availability of the following machinery & equipment or special skills/expertise:
Management Team
The company will be managed by the following individuals, with the indicated primary responsibilities:
Name Title / Areas of Responsibility
The company's management team members have the following qualifications for their stated responsibilities:
Name Qualifications
The company will employ the following people:
Initially At End of Year Number
Owner – Managers |
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Non-Owner Managers |
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Other Personnel |
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Total Employees |
Key skills needed by company employees include: